Chauny to Pinon

28kms, 5 locks

After a very late night last night, I was determined to sleep later than usual today but at 7.00 the barges started coming past (I was already awake but trying not to be).  The third one came past rather fast and the wake slapped and banged under our swim platform.  No rest for the wicked, I was wide awake and up by 7.45 – actually that is quite late for me.

We saw Gerd and Dagmar to thank them for their hospitality last night and say goodbye.  We hope to meet up with them again as we are going in the same direction but they have a problem with a leaking prop shaft seal and have a mechanic coming to have a look at it today.  Ian had a look last night, hoping it would just be a stuffing box that needed tightening but in fact it is quite serious.  We feel so sorry for them.  The boat will probably have to come out of the water and that will delay them a lot.

We left the little marina in Chauny just after 10.00.  

Breakfast: brioche a la creme and pain raisin

After a mere 3 kms we arrived at the turn off to the Canal de l’Oise a L’Aisne 

to find another pleasure cruiser waiting for the lock.  We could both fit in together 

and we travelled in tandem through 4 locks before they stopped.

Crossing an aquaduct

There was a problem at one of the locks - Mrs Lock Keeper sorted it out 

A sheep cropping the grass on the towpath, beehives in the background

Canal maintenance: a pusher pushing a barge loaded with steel pilings with the pile driver on a barge alongside.  They took a great deal of canal width!

We stopped at about 14.30 at Pinon where we stopped last year.  This was a planned stop because we knew there was a big Carrefour supermarket right on the side of the canal.

We went shopping, loaded nearly €100 of groceries into their shopping trolley and pushed it back to the boat.  I think Ian was quite disappointed that he didn’t have an excuse to use his trailer.